Flight cuts begin across nation’s biggest airports due to government shutdown: Live

The chief of the nation’s largest airline is urging members of Congress to “get together and get the government reopened” as the Trump administration shuts down travel, delaying and canceling thousands of flights.

Speaking to Good Morning America Friday, American Airlines David Seymour said the airline has 6,000 flights scheduled and was forced to cancel 200 today and through the weekend.

“It’s super important that we end this government shutdown and get this aviation system open,” he said.

Asked whether the shutdown and travel restrictions would impact Thanksgiving travel, Seymour suggested that the decision lies with Congress, with American working to “mitigate any impact” travelers will feel in the coming weeks.

The Senate will hold yet another vote Friday on a short-term funding package that would reopen the government, the first congressional test after Tuesday’s sweeping Democratic victories.

The proposal would temporarily fund the government and guarantee a future Senate vote on a policy to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, which will send premiums skyrocketing.

An end of the shutdown would also begin to reset major staffing issues plaguing airports across the country and could begin to ease restrictions as millions of Americans prepare for holiday travel.

As the longest-ever government shutdown drags on, the Department of Transportation updated its policy this week when it comes to refunds for canceled or delayed flights.

Airlines are required to notify passengers of their right to a refund, the policy states.

Here’s what you need to know:

More than 1,000 flights within the U.S. have been delayed s of 9 a.m. today, according to flight tracking website FlightAware.

And cancelations are not far behind: at least 824 domestic flights have been canceled, according to the website.

Those figures are expected to climb as the FAA limits air traffic at major travel hubs during the government shutdown.

Here’s Mike Bedigan and Rhian Lubin with a reminder of the situation going into Friday as the Department of Transportation and FAA begin canceling domestic flights at 40 of the U.S.’s biggest airports.

Speaking to reporters in Virginia, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested that a busy Thanksgiving travel period could still be impacted by current airspace reductions, even if the government shutdown ends next week.

“If government reopens, day one, will I see an immediate response from controllers? No,” he said Friday morning.

“As we see data change and more controllers come to work, [the administration will work] as quickly as possible to take restrictions away,” Duffy said.

He called on members of Congress to show up at airports to speak with travelers to see the impacts of the government shutdown.

“My message is: Enough,” he said. “Come to an airport and talk to travelers and ask them if it’s worth it. … Open it up and go through the process that our Founders set up for us.”

Roughly 3 percent of flights from U.S. airports were canceled by 6 a.m. ET, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Around 25,400 flights were scheduled to depart, the company said, according to The New York Times.

Among the most affected flights were shuttle flights in the Northeast, flights inside Florida and trips between Dallas and smaller regional centers, the report found.

Carriers with the most cancelations included three of the biggest airlines, including American Airlines with 221 canceled flights, United with 184, and Delta with 173, Cirium reported.

Natalie Wilson has answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about today’s disruption.

The reason for all the travel chaos is, of course, the ongoing government shutdown but Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been teasing a deal that he believes could finally bring it to an end.

Here’s Mike Bedigan with the very latest.